Neuro-Oncology Program

Neuro-Oncology Program provides specialty oncology care to children from birth through young adulthood. Brain and central nervous system tumors are the second most common cancers in children, making up about 26 percent of childhood cancers.

Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors

There are many types of brain tumors, and the treatment and outlook for each is different. Brain and spinal cord tumors in children tend to be different from those in adults. They often form in different places, develop from different types of cell types and may have different treatment and prognosis (outlook).

Most brain tumors in children often start in the lower parts of the brain, such as the cerebellum or brain stem. They can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, blurred or double vision, dizziness, seizures, trouble walking or handling objects, and other symptoms.

Spinal cord tumors are less common than brain tumors in both children and adults.

Our Neuro-Oncology Program is comprised of specialists who know the differences between cancers in adults and those in children and teens, as well as the unique needs of younger people with cancer. Our Neuro-Oncology Program care team includes:

Pediatric neurosurgeons: doctors who use surgery to treat brain and nervous system tumors in children

Pediatric neurologists: doctors who treat brain and nervous system diseases in children

Radiation oncologists: doctors who use radiation to treat cancer

Pediatric oncologists: doctors who use chemotherapy and other medicines to treat children’s cancer

Endocrinologists: doctors who treats diseases in glands that secrete hormones

Our doctors provide quality, compassionate care and plan each child’s treatment individually to give them the best chance of a cure while limiting side effects as much as possible.

Treatment
The neuro-oncology care team meets to review clinical cases and make recommendations on the type of therapy and other care that is most appropriate for each patient’s unique condition. Neuro-oncology patients often receive a combination of treatments, which may include:

MRI and CT scans of brain and spine

Surgery, if needed

Chemotherapy

Radiotherapy

In addition to neuro-oncologic treatment needs, Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute also is heavily involved in research to help find cures and discover new treatments for cancer.